Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is Mexico’s principal Catholic shrine, located on Tepeyac Hill in northern Mexico City. It is the national devotional centre for the Virgin of Guadalupe and one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world.

The complex includes a modern circular New Basilica built to handle large crowds and an adjacent colonial Old Basilica that was the primary shrine before the new building. The New Basilica was constructed to provide greater floor capacity and improved circulation for pilgrims while the old church remains an active chapel and historical monument.

The basilica was developed around the image on Juan Diego’s tilma, and the site has been a continuous pilgrimage destination since the colonial period. The precinct is managed to accommodate liturgies, processions and large-scale pilgrim visits, particularly on the feast day of December 12.

The complex sits on Tepeyac Hill within Mexico City’s Gustavo A. Madero borough, north of the historic city centre, and is served by public transport and pilgrimage routes.

• Pilgrimage peak: Millions of pilgrims visit annually, with the feast day of December 12 the single busiest date, when crowds can number in the hundreds of thousands.
• Key relic: The main sanctuary displays the tilma with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe behind protective glass; security and queues are normal during visiting hours.

What to See #

• New Basilica (Basílica Nueva): The circular modern basilica houses the tilma with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe and was built to accommodate large numbers of pilgrims; it has a single-level circular plan to maximize capacity.
• Old Basilica (Basílica Antigua): The adjacent older colonial church - often called the Old Basilica - retains Baroque architecture and a smaller chapel that was the main pilgrimage destination prior to the new building.